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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429167">To Where the Water Take Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafeinthemoon93/pseuds/cafeinthemoon93'>cafeinthemoon93</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Coast City, F/M, Ocean, POV Female Character, POV Multiple, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Sea God, Sea Monsters, Senju Tobirama Needs a Hug, Warring States Period (Naruto), fantasy!au, merman, naruto - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:42:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429167</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafeinthemoon93/pseuds/cafeinthemoon93</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yua lives on a small town by the coast where stories about the people of the sea and their altercations with humans were common. One morning, during her usual walking by the beach, she spots something lying ahead, right where the sand and the water meet. She approaches it believing it is an animal, just to be proven wrong: that was the body of a male from the people of the sea.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character(s), Senju Tobirama/Yua</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Morning Walk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, it's me with one more Tobirama fic, but this time we have an Original Character! Yay! Her name is Yua and she lives in a small town by the coast. I had this idea some days ago but haven't the time to write it down. I also don't have great plans for it, I don’t know when I will finish it or how much chapters it will have, I just want it to be short and simple. I’m also posting it here to “clean” my draft list, so please don’t expect constant updates on this story XD</p>
<p>This story is also available on my fanfiction Tumblr: @cafeinthemoon</p>
<p>NOTES:</p>
<p>- Minor injury</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <strong>“<em>A thousand miles out to the sea bed</em></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Found a place to rest my head”</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>(Florence and the Machine, Never Let Me Go)</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Spring was on its second week in that land and the days of Winter winds and violent storms coming from the sea were over. It was easy to become used to the warm sunlight and the calm waves on the coast that came after them every year, and that was the reason why Yua started to rethink her decision of leaving the house to take her usual walk that particular morning: she reached the sand and haven’t walked more than a few meters when a cold breeze reached her, making her ask herself if she should have brought a coat. Maybe yes, but now that she was already there with her feet buried in sand and her hair soaked in salt air, she was not going back home; she came to take her morning walk, and she was not leaving without doing it.</p><p>However, the sea had experience with tenacious people, and that time it was determined to test her persistence. Little by little, the warm sun disappeared behind a thick layer of gray clouds slowly pushed by the wind, which was sending more and more shivers down her body at each step. Soon, the amount of sand carried by it started to interfere in her sight, and it was hard to see what was ahead. Yua felt the irritation growing inside her: what happened to the weather that day?</p><p>She was now convinced that going back home was the wisest thing to do in such conditions. Accepting her defeat with a sigh, she tied her hair to not have it on her eyes while walking with the wind on her back and crossed her arms around herself, preparing to leave.</p><p>It was when she saw it.</p><p>Not so far from her spot, there was a dark, large stain upon the white sand, right where the land met the waves. Yua narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what she was seeing. Was it a piece of a wrecked ship? Or a living creature? Maybe the waters became so agitated with that terrible wind that they threw it there, giving it no chance to go back.</p><p>She took a few steps towards it and confirmed that it was a creature. Was it a dolphin? A seal? Well, if it was an animal, it must be too heavy for her to take it back to the water all by herself. She could seek for help in the city. But were they going to help her? She couldn’t be sure.</p><p>Whatever the case, the creature wasn’t moving, which increased the possibility of it being hurt. Standing there would only lead it to death, if it hasn’t happened already, so the girl walked toward it with determination, if not to do something for it, at least to try and understand what happened.</p><p>As she approached it, she start to think that the animal was too big to be a dolphin, and to slim to be a seal. What was it, then? She would have to look closer to find out. Now the curiosity has overcome her plans of leaving the beach, and she found herself almost running to reach the being.</p><p>And then her path ended up in an abrupt way: she was just a few steps apart from the creature and held her breath when she looked closer at it.</p><p>It wasn’t an animal as she first supposed. It was a person. Not a human, though – a person from the people of the sea.</p><p>For the appearance of their upper bodies carried a reasonable resemblance with the human figure, it was safe to say that the creature was a male. He was lying on his belly, his arms stretched up his head; in his hand he held tight some black stripes that showed to be a species of seaweed that she never saw before – he must have found it in the depths of the ocean.</p><p>His skin was pale even when compared to the white sand upon which he was lying, but all over his arms and ribs he had reddish marks spreading on a stern pattern; at first, Yua thought they were scratches, but a careful examination revealed that they were natural marks. Not that it would be a big problem for him if they were real injuries, for his muscles and general aspect implied an amount of resistance that would surpass the human limits: it wasn’t hard to imagine that he had enough strength to kill Yua in seconds even if he didn’t use everything he got against her. This detail served as warning for her in her next actions.</p><p>If the creature’s skin seemed pale to her, his hair was indeed white; it was short, disposed in shaggy, thick strands. On his head he was wearing some sort of silver ornament that covered his forehead and part of his cheeks, but the sharp points on its upper side created a resemblance with the forehead protector of the human <em>shinobi</em> from distant lands. Was he a warrior among his people?</p><p>She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but both his skin and hair seemed to reflect a subtle, bluish shade when touched by the light. Perhaps it was the influence of the aquatic aspects of his anatomy: over the outer side of his arms, starting on his elbows and reaching his fists, as well as on his lower back, grew a layer of scales that shone with a soft shade of blue that got darker as they extended in flexible fins. Of an even darker tone of blue was his tail, spreading for at least three meters among the waves: it started right at what would be his waist if he was human, but in this case the transition between the pale skin and the scales was less subtle, as to let no doubts about his non human nature.</p><p>For she was born in that city, Yua heard about the people of the sea since she was a child, from the stories her mother told her to the talking all around the city, when fishermen and travelers would complain about accidents and shipwrecks caused by those wild sea-men. However, she never expected to find one of them by herself. She was scared, that was true, but her fascination overcame her fears, and she bent down beside the seaman and stretched her hand to touch him.</p><p>She touched his right shoulder at first with her fingertips, ready to move away if he woke and attack her. It was warm – he was alive, then. And that part of the stories that claimed that their skin was as cold as the deep ocean was a lie. He showed no reaction to her touch, so she put her palm over his skin.</p><p>This time he started to move.</p><p>He clenched his fists and leaned on them using all his strength. In a second, he was able to look ahead, and that was what he did once he opened his eyes. Yua got stunned when he did: his pupils were not but two tiny black dots surrounded by globes as red as human blood, and the narrow shape of his eyes seeming to be painted with black ink, as well the red marks he had upon his cheeks and chin which were of the same pattern as the others on his body, deepened her impression of being in front of a predator.</p><p>They soon spotted the girl staring at him and widened, if with anger or fear, she didn’t have the time to find out. It was easy to suppose that he hid fangs behind his mouth while he kept it shut, so when he hissed and showed them, Yua was not surprised, but the sudden movement he made to throw himself toward her made her jump and fall on her back, containing a scream.</p><p>However, instead of a growl or any other sound of attack, she heard a moan that seem to be caused by pain. When she sat and looked again, she noticed that the sand underneath his spot was soaked in a fluid of a deep blue tone that was close to black; she then saw him trying to cover a dark stain upon his chest, from which dripped the same fluid. She didn’t need to know much about seamen to understand that it was blood.</p><p>Forgetting about what just happened, she leaned toward him.</p><p>- Let me help you!</p><p>The man stopped at these words and stared at her. The suffering was visible on his face, on which side there was blood falling, probably from a hidden injury. However, his silence was so long that she started to wonder if he could understand the human speech.</p><p>She tried again, more cautious.</p><p>- Do you understand what I say? – she pointed the injury – You’re hurt. You need help. Let me take care of this for you.</p><p>He kept staring at her for a few seconds before relaxing his position as sign of permission for her to approach. She came to bend closer to him and without touching the injury, started to examine it. It was an ugly thing he got there: a deep cut on his right side, apparently made with some sharp, metallic instrument like a big knife or a spear, that spread from his scapula to the center of his chest, almost reaching his left ribs. What was she going to do?</p><p>The first thing was to clean that blood as much as she could. She had nothing to do that but an apron she used to put upon her dresses to walk in case she found a shell she wanted to keep; she took it off and soaked it in the water to clean the bruise, and then folded it, using it to contain the bleeding.</p><p>- Please, hold it tight – she made the gesture of holding the fabric against the injury and touched his hand to tell him to imitate her.</p><p>He did it with his empty hand and, when she started to look around, trying to decide what to do next, he offered her the seaweed he was holding. She raised her eyes to him and he nodded; she immediately understood and took it from his hand.</p><p>The seaweed, when pressed and rubbed between the palms, formed a thick, creamy substance that glued to the skin with little effort and didn’t melt with the mere contact with water; it wasn’t so easy to spread, so the girl would need to be careful if she wanted that quantity to be enough for a large cut like that. When the salve was ready, she removed the apron from the cut and started to press the seaweed upon it.</p><p>It was indeed a strong medicine: as soon as it touched the bruise, he hissed, probably because it burned the sensitive skin. Yua stopped at it, but got back to her task when he seem to feel better.</p><p>She slowed her pace and softened the pressure she was applying, but it didn’t seem to help with the burning sensation because he kept hissing during the whole process.</p><p>- I’m sorry – she whispered, trying to calm him down as she worked – It will be over soon, I promise... It’s almost finished… Just a little bit…</p><p>As the treatment advanced, the seaman seemed to get used to the unpleasing sensation caused by the medicine: the hisses were less frequent now, and the tension on his muscles diminished. Maybe it was the medicine in action, or the certainty that Yua was not going to harm him – because whatever have happened to him moments before that encounter, he had his reasons to be on guard and afraid.</p><p>And after some minutes, everything was finally over. The seaman was visibly relieved; the burn must have stopped at that point. Yua washed her hands on the water, but kept what remained from the seaweed on her lap.</p><p>She observed him with more attention, not ignoring the blood on his face.</p><p>- Is this the only injury you got? – she questioned him and indicated the water plant – There’s still some seaweed we could use in this case.</p><p>At these words, he had a strange reaction. His looked away, as if trying to hide the blood and find a way to escape the conversation. But what could be so embarrassing that he didn’t want to tell her? Was it the fact that he just got help from a human being? Or didn’t he understand her language and didn’t know how to explain it? She tried to question him to find out, but he seemed to become nervous, and she was afraid to push him too far: having a potentially dangerous creature close to you and irritating him was not the best idea one could have.</p><p>The girl stretched her hand toward him, but closed it and moved it back to her lap. If he was a human, she could touch his shoulder or his hand to assure him about her good intentions, but in the present case she couldn’t be sure of how he was going to react to her gesture. The best way to proceed was, after all, continuing to speak.</p><p>- Listen… I don’t know if can understand what I’m saying, but I just want to help you, right? So, if you have a problem, you can show me, and I will do my best. You don’t need to be afraid.</p><p>And again, she held back a scream: for the first time, the seaman spoke.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Gratitude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>The seaman explained the situation in a deep, clear voice that both surprised and interested the girl.</p><p>- I am not afraid of you and I can perfectly understand what you are saying, girl of the land. I am grateful for what you did for me despite not having the obligation to do so. However, though I am aware of its unsettling appearance, this injury in my chest is the least of my problems. It was a result of an altercation I had with someone of my own people, and with this seaweed I managed to find during my escape it could be properly treated. But… – he then seemed to regain his courage and looked the girl in the eye – My face was also injured during the fight, as you can see, and I cannot take off my protector and treat the bruise until I go back to the deep sea and find a quiet place to do it in particular.</p><p>Even with the strangeness of the situation, Yua could sense through his tone and manners that he was not joking; despite her lack of knowledge about his people’s standards regarding education, it was clear that he must have received the finest one. Among her people, he would be certainly taken as a noble man; it was obvious that he wasn’t from the lower classes, if such thing existed in his world.</p><p>Still, she didn’t understand why he would need to find a hideout just to treat an injury on his face. That was illogical in all senses.</p><p>- I’m sorry – she started – But I don’t understand why you cannot take it off here and now. We could treat your injury as we did with the other.</p><p>He stared at the girl with something between embarrassment and annoyance, as someone who had to explain something obvious like as a social rule to someone but then remembered that the person came from another land where the said rule didn’t exist.</p><p>- In fact, I could not expect that someone from the land would know about such things – he sighed – Listen. I serve as Commander of the regiments responsible for guarding the gates and the territories connected to our Village, hidden in the depths of the sea. My forehead protector is a symbol of honor, a reminder of my purpose. I hope you do not feel offended by the way I am going to put things, girl, but it cannot be taken off in front of any people. I can only show myself without it to the closest people in my life, or to my own reflection.</p><p>She reflected on this.</p><p>- The closest people in your life… such as your relatives, or a spouse?</p><p>- Exactly.</p><p>Yua thought of this for a moment. So, not wearing that protector was like being naked in front of a stranger. It wasn’t something she would submit herself to; so why would she demand such thing from him, even though the rules of the sea didn’t apply to the land? But he still needed to treat that bruise, and his current conditions wouldn’t allow him to go too far without help.</p><p>The girl decided to reasonate with him.</p><p>- I wouldn’t want you to do anything embarrassing, of course – with her fingers, she put her hair behind her ear – But you see, we are alone here, and for all purposes and intents, your social <em>etiquette</em> is strange to me, so it wouldn’t make a difference if I saw you without your protector.</p><p>He frowned and his cheeks’ skin changed its tone to a green shade. Judging by the color of his blood, she understood that as a reaction equal to the human blush.</p><p>- Are you saying this because you are really oblivious to our culture – he started in a harsh tone – Or is it an excuse to satisfy some fetish of yours?</p><p>Yua opened her mouth, but no words left it. Did she really hear what she thought she heard? A sudden irritation grew inside her, and with much effort she managed to not give him a rude reply.</p><p>- I just did you a favor and this is what I receive for it? Suspicions? – she sighed and then hoped her own cheeks would not blush with what she was going to say next – Just to make things clear, whether you are wearing your forehead protector or not doesn’t make any difference to me because I am seeing everything I could expected to see from you right now – and looking at him up to down, to the edges of his tail – To me you are already naked.</p><p>If the seaman was already embarrassed before, now he stared at Yua with a scandalized look. In a nervous gesture he shook his tail, splashing wet sand and salty water to all directions; the girl protected her eyes with her hands.</p><p>- How can you say something so outrageous?! – he almost screamed in indignation – An honored individual of the sea people would never leave his house without being properly dressed!</p><p>Yua was still confused.</p><p>- But you are wearing no clothing at all!</p><p>Now the merman was about to lose his hope in her and her people.</p><p>- It seems that I will have to explain everything to you, then – his exasperation couldn’t be hidden.</p><p>- If you don’t want it, you don’t have to – she replied, not hiding her impatience.</p><p>But he explained it anyway.</p><p>- It might not seem like this to you, but the scales the cover the lower side of our bodies work as a natural protection. They are extensions directly grown out of our sensitive skin. It spares us from injuries, the damage of extreme environments and the inconveniences that bother you men of the land, who have to cover yourselves up with fabric, sometimes taken from other living creatures.</p><p>Yua stood in silence for a moment. In those words there were much information for one to process at once. First, the concept of being naked was something completely different to their people, even more than she expected. Second, while she knew nothing about his species regarding this, he seemed to have a reasonable knowledge of hers. That didn’t sound fair to her.</p><p>- Well, excuse me if I wasn’t expecting to have my people’s habits discussed and judged by the person who I just helped – she gathered the remaining seaweed and offered it to him – You can take this back now. Since you don’t need me anymore, you can just go back to your home and take care of yourself.</p><p>He didn’t take the plant, though. When Yua raised her eyes to him, she saw no more irritation in his traits now. When he spoke again, his tone was low and composed.</p><p>- Well, you are right. Perhaps I was too rigid towards you and your people. Allow me to apologize for my behavior.</p><p>And before the girl could find proper words to respond, she held her breath.</p><p>The sea man, so proud and secure about himself just a moment ago, bent down and put his hands on his face; when they moved away, they were holding the protector. He washed the blood on the sea water and looked at her. Yua could see his entire face for the first time. And it left her speechless.</p><p>Looking at his face was like looking at the sea itself if it had the face of a living being; it was a physical manifestation of the ocean. Despite the similarities with a human face, calling it <em>human</em> felt wrong, inappropriate, for the more she looked, less humanity she saw in him, this one being replaced with something else, for which she couldn’t find a name.</p><p>The red lines on his chin and cheeks were longer than she first imagined, almost touching his jawline, both steady and delicate in its shape as a combination of the wild and the rational sides of his nature, and the same pattern was found in the rest of his traits: his eyes, with their narrow, perspicacious format, his firm nose and his mouth with fine lips, almost as pale as the rest of his skin. The seaman was both old and young, abstract and sentient, unique as an individual and part of the water.</p><p>All of this was sensed by Yua in an instant. But she didn’t have enough time to deliberate: the new stream of blood falling from the injury and staining his skin shook her out of her contemplation and urged her to work. She took the seaweed and with the same gentleness as before, she covered the injury, which was more superficial than the one on his chest judging by the less frequent hisses from his part. She waited for a wave to approach them, put her hands under the water and cleaned the remaining drops of blood from his face.</p><p>Finally, she stated that her work was finished. Nothing lasted from the medicine that time. The girl washed her hands when a new wave reached their spot and shook them before trying to dry them in her already soaked clothes.</p><p>She observed in silence while he put back his protector, hiding the treated injury. When he asked if there was something wrong, she startled a bit, then smiled.</p><p>- Nothing. It’s just that… You’re beautiful.</p><p>He stared at her in silence; if trying to assimilate what she just said or surprised with the girl’s honesty, only he could tell. However, the bluish shade that came up to his cheeks convinced her that he was experiencing a combination of these two feelings.</p><p>The seaman looked away, affecting irritation.</p><p>- A silly concept of beauty, this one. It’s always expected that the highest ranked representatives of our Hidden Village’s Security show themselves in a presentable way.</p><p>At that point, Yua was no longer willing to argue over superfluous matters. It was obvious that this man had an elevated opinion of himself and that his current circumstances must have been a strike in his pride, which explained his salty manners since their first words were exchanged. From now on, his mood would be appeased as his injuries heal. In the end, she even started to find it funny.</p><p>- If it’s something so silly, there’s no use in getting irritated over it, right? – she laughed, then sighed – It was just a compliment. Why don’t you just accept it and move on?</p><p>He looked at Yua as if her suggestion was something that he could never think of by himself.</p><p>- Well, if it makes you content – he nodded in a ceremonial way – I accept your compliment. Thank you for finding me… beautiful.</p><p>The girl laughed even harder at his formality. But that time it didn’t seem to bother him.</p><p>Her apron, still in his hands and once white, was now entirely blue. He raised it and apologized for the staining it. She assured him there was no problem and explained that she had others as good as that one at home.</p><p>- You can keep it with you or get rid of it. Do as you please – she shrugged.</p><p>He glanced over his shoulder, to the sea, and raised one hand. It didn’t go unnoticed to her that the gesture made by him was similar to the common hand seals used by human shinobi. So the use of those arts were familiar to the people of the sea too?</p><p>At his gesture, a significant amount of water separated itself from the waves and ran toward them. Yua considered standing up and moving back, but the water calmed down even before reaching them. It raised to his hand’s reach, covered it and fell off, blending with the small waves as a part of them and leaving something white, shiny on it. He covered the object between his palms for a second, then he showed it to the girl.</p><p>It was a shell.</p><p>- I cannot remove the stains of your piece of fabric, but I can make amends for it – he offered the shell to her – Please, accept it as my apologies.</p><p>When Yua looked closer to the shell, she noticed a small pattern upon its polished surface. It was a mark. She turned to him, seeking for an explanation.</p><p>- I’ve put one of my seals on it. This seal is an essential part of my teleportation technique. If you ever need my help, you can hold it under the sea water. I will sense the seal’s location and come for you.</p><p>The girl didn’t know what to think of feel about that. She did nothing but a small favor to a person in need. Was her gesture worthy of such a debt?</p><p>She decided to refuse the offer.</p><p>- I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it – she showed her palms to punctuate her refusal – I’m happy that I was able to help you, but that’s too much! I can’t demand something like this from you!</p><p>He insisted.</p><p>- Listen. We, who live in the depths of the sea, have experienced war and violence during our whole recent history. Because of this, moments of peace and kind gestures like yours are valuable to us, and we do what we can to keep them in memory. This shell is a sign of our philosophy – he held the shell out to her for the second time – It is the appropriate way to show my gratitude for your time and effort in taking care of my injuries. So, please, accept it.</p><p>Yua looked at the shell again. She observed its elegant shape, the white bright on its surface dividing itself in thousands of colored rays at the pale light of that cloudy morning, and imagined what it would look like if it was directly touched by the sun. She had to agree with him: that single jewel of the ocean, so small in his hands, was indeed the perfect representation of one’s gratitude; if gentleness could be transformed into something concrete, it would certainly resemble that shell.</p><p>The seaman, seeing her hesitation, smiled.</p><p>- It is just a gift – and repeating her own words – Why don’t you just accept it and move on?</p><p>Finally, she raised her hands, her palms turned up, and let him put the shell upon them. She looked at it for a moment, then turned to him again.</p><p>- I can’t even describe its beauty. We don’t see things like this everyday on the land – and with a smile – Thank you.</p><p>He nodded, as if he felt that he could finally be in peace now that she said yes to his offer.</p><p>Yua looked ahead of him, to the waves.</p><p>- So… Do you need help to go back to the water?</p><p>- No – he looked over his shoulder, and part of the grin on his mouth was visible to her – I am not dead yet.</p><p>- What are you going to do? – she raised an eyebrow.</p><p>When he looked at the girl again, the grin turned into a genuine smile.</p><p>- I am going to ask you to stand up and take a few steps away from the water, girl of the land. It is for your own good.</p><p>She obeyed, despite her confusion. And what she saw made her feel glad that she did it.</p><p>The seaman united his palms and closed his eyes. The small, calm waves rolling near his spot started to rise and combine with each other, forming a large swirl that revolved around his spot.</p><p>It was an impressive sight. The air surrounding the swirl became so agitated, spreading salty drops to all directions, that she was forced to cover her eyes for a moment. When she was able to look again, she saw the seaman’s face through the water wall and opened her mouth in surprise: the image was clear; there was no sign of the blurry that should be expected when one sees something through agitated waters.</p><p>Yua didn’t hear anything but the sound of the swirl, but she could swear that the seaman’s lips moved to form the words “thank you” while she was looking, right before disappearing behind a wave.</p><p> </p>
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